In vitro gametogenesis, ‘social infertility’, and the legacy of the Warnock report

In vitro gametogenesis (IVG) is a biotechnological development which aims to replicate the process of gametogenesis outside the human body. If proven safe and effective, IVG could disrupt various social and biological norms, and create new reproductive possibilities and opportunities for those who experience infertility as a result of both social and biomedical factors. In this paper we argue that the new reproductive possibilities provided by IVG, much like earlier discussions of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) dating back to the Warnock Report, highlight the importance of exploring the distinctions often made in policy terms between 'medical' and 'social' understandings of infertility, and that any access and funding decisions made on this basis require careful and critical attention.